Chapter 19
"Stop," Annie ordered the taxi driver as they neared the location Steve had given. But it was not quite there yet. No Annie had halted the driver in front of the 'Captain America exhibit'. Steve had been there a few times, hoping to find who he was in the past projected in the walls. Annie had always attributed her avoidance of the exhibit to her focus on adapting to the new century. But that excuse simply masked her fear. She feared viewing her memorial, the thought dead sister of Captain America. She feared reliving the loss of her mother. But most of all Annie feared the confronting face of the dead man she once loved. It all reminded her of the loss she was too familiar with. She hated that everyone was gone, she didn't want to see statues and posters of the past she could never return to.
But as fear and frustration circulated her thoughts Annie deliberated it was now or never. Something strong urging her to face this demon. She paid the cabby enough of a tip to be kind but not enough to waste what may become a precious supply. She decided to be cautious in the still unknown circumstance her brother was in.
Not knowing how well known her face was she endeavoured to conceal her features with her long hair. Any other form of subtly unavailable and in that moment she wished she wore more hats or hoods. She made it through the security check rather easily but her vision was suddenly filled with an unnecessarily large, close up image of Steve in his uniform, saluting citizens as they entered. She grinned at the ridiculous painting, the tension lifting slightly as she understood why Steve journeyed here when upset. It was most likely a confidence booster.
The beginning of the tour about the various rooms was comical at the excessive focus on Steve but odd in seeing one's brother so idealized by the public. She still thought of him as the goofy boy that wore newspapers in his shoes and who couldn't talk to girls. Thankfully the exhibit lightly brushed over their parents and lacked any great detail of them and their deaths. Annie would depict them as horrific, well at least not her mothers.
The woman had looked weak but peaceful in the moment leading to her gentle death. The calm interrupted with bloody coughs. She had looked upon her children with kind loving eyes as a soft smile formed on her chapped lips. The woman's lungs had betrayed her. Unable to clear the deadly gas that had filled them and poisoned her breathing slowly. Annie thought her mother deserved a better death, a one far less painful and gradual. Annie believed that the tender mother that she knew deserved to leave this earth painlessly, from old age and tuberculosis.
The woman had accepted that God had decided it was her time to leave this earth but as her only daughter cried into her frail hand, she regretted leaving them alone. They were old enough to care for themselves, luckily Steve had reached a mature age but she had wished to be present for their marriages and children's births and achievements.
Annie had tightly gripped her mother's hand even after it fell limp. Steve had held onto her trembling shoulders for strength as their last family member departed from them. She almost appeared relieved in her dead expression; content that the trails of the world were finally over.
Annie wearily walked to the adjoining room to find another of her concerns. This room was dedicated to her memory. Information newly erected after news of her supposed death during the crash. There was a large, slightly transparent screen in the centre of the room that displayed a portrait of her. The image was not a bad one of her, which she was thankful for. Her waved hair flowed around her face and over her shoulders as she looked off into the distance. It was too cheesy for her taste but she liked the minute tug of her lip that hinted to a smile.
A podium sprouted out from the imaged panel of glass that was decorated with neat writing and various images of her and Steve at their old house in Brooklyn and her working at the base. There was even a rare image of her with the Howling Commandos when she had gone on a mission with them. An almost nasal voice filtered through the speakers that integrated into the ceiling, "Annie Rogers, younger sister of Captain America and a talented military strategist. She followed her brother into many battles, more concern for the super-soldiers safety than her own. Records of the time depict the two as very close and caring towards each other. She is considered the only individual more important to Steve Rogers than his childhood friend James Barnes. The three spent majority of their youth side by side." Annie sharply inhaled at the mention of Bucky. The voice continued, unconscious of her reaction, "Annie Rogers bravely followed her brother onto the HYDRA aircraft and assisted in saving the lives of millions of Americans. She tragically did not survive the crash but is remembered as an American hero. She will be remembered for her fierce protection of others."
Annie exited the room hurriedly as the sensation of hearing your memory being projected through the roof too abnormal. She paused as a flickering screen catch her gaze. It was a record of the one mission Annie had participated in to collect intel. She hadn't realised a camera had been present on the truck. It recorded her has she sprawled papers about from out of her back pack. Showing the contents to the intent Holing Commandos. They all seemed rather interested in what she had discussing about the tactics and supplies of HYDRA. All except Bucky who wore a dazed expression from a few seats away from Annie. He watched her carefully but without concentrating on anything.
Annie mimicked the careful grin that the image of Bucky wore as he watched her. The video of Annie looked up from her stolen notes to Bucky, returning his gaze. It only lasts for a moment but the Annie in the video is left slightly flustered with a secret grin.
Annie straightens her shoulders and fills her lung, hoping for courage instead of air. She moves cautiously towards the Bucky section of the exhibit. And similar image to hers is printed on a large glass screen with information on his life written down the side. People swirl about her, ignorant to her identity or her intent stare at the image.
The same educational voice sounds through the room, "Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable both on schoolyard and on battle field. James Barnes is the only of the Howling Commandos to give his life in battle." She breathed deeply as she watched his face. One she had not seen for too long but one she would never forget. A part of her was afraid she might.
Annie moved on quickly when she began to feel to edges of her eyes stinging, warning her of incoming tears. To avoid them and a scene she searched for a new distraction. She found one in a video of Peggy talking about Steve. Although Annie misses Peggy the pain was bitter sweet in seeing her. Annie could tell that she had loved Steve deeply, they would have been happy.
Annie had gone to see Peggy, hearing from Steve that she was in fact alive. Annie's caution gave way to excitement when she heard and demanded that she be brought to her friend.
Steve had already visited the aged woman once a few weeks ago allowing that opportunity for privacy. Now he guided Annie through a hospital, her excited steps had a childish bounce to them. Her excitement at seeing her old friend bubbling into her actions.
Steve had warned her that she didn't look as she did in the 40s and Annie had replied with "I hope she doesn't" noticing the current habit of some older women to inject themselves with botox. She could never imagine Peggy doing such as thing.
Steve stopped steadily at a pale blue door with a name that Annie did not recognise, 'Margaret Sousa'. She supposed Margaret was more likely than not to be Peggy's full name. He knocked on the thin wood and heard a weak voice call him in. He cautiously opened the door and stepped I, taking a set beside a wrinkled, immobile woman.
Annie followed Steve at a slower pace, more unfamiliar with the room than he was. She rounded the uniform bed and stood beside Steve. The woman lying in the bed appeared weak and wearied by age but Annie could still see the fiery Peggy she knew within her.
Peggy grinned, wrinkles gathering on her cheeks at the action. Her voice was slightly rusty but still held that smooth British tone, "Annie! Steve told me you made the crash. I'm glad to see that in 75 years you haven't aged a day."
Annie smirked at the witty comment and retorted, "Neither have you." To two women of surprisingly similar ages laughed at the outright lie. They had spent the next 3 hours speaking of their lives as if they had not spent 75 years apart. Peggy's spoke of her husband, children and grandchildren. Annie found that warm smile that graced Peggy's face whenever she mentioned her children or Daniel, her husband, was endearing. It was clear that though Peggy's life was coming to a close, she didn't have regrets, but had led a full life. One that Annie had expected Peggy to. But she found herself somewhat envious of Peggy who had been building a family whilst Annie had been frozen.
Annie eventually made it to the address that Steve had given. The address was for an adequately sized home painted in a light cream colour. Not knowing what the circumstances were, Annie opted for the safest course of action and snuck around the back of the property. If SHEILD was compromised she didn't want them knowing the location of their safe-house.
Annie nonchalantly knocks on the sliding glass door. Annie trusted Steve to direct her to a safe location so she had decided to trust the individual inside it. The curtain concealing the inside of the house was pull away to expose a dark man with neatly trimmed facial hair shaping his slim face. He slid the glass door open.
Annie shuffled about awkwardly asking the stranger, "Do you by any chance know Steve?"
The man raises a suspicious eyebrow, "Whose calling for him?"
She might as well give him her name, she wasn't going to get anywhere if she didn't. And she couldn't use a fake name because he might really be on Steve's side and is awaiting an Annie. She squared her shoulders and introduced, "I'm Annie?"
The man chuckled, "Is that a question? Wait you're Annie? You are exactly what I pictured."
Annie grew confused, "I'm sorry but I told you who I am so it's only fair you tell me who you are."
The man shrugged, "Oh sorry. I'm Sam, maybe Steve has-"
Recognition spread across Annie's face as she cut him off, "You're Sam! Steve's running buddy. The one that never stays to the left!"
Sam's expression drops at the last bit muttering, "I see the resemblance." He moves out of the way inviting her into the house.
She is efficiently caught by an angered Steve who almost shouts, "Annie! Where were you, we thought you would be here first but- I-we thought SHIELD caught you!" After the rant he embraced her, excreting a relieved breath.
In the hug Annie turned her face out of Steve's chest that was making it hard to breath. With the movement she viewed Sam as a smirk grew on his slim face. "He hasn't stopped being a pain in the ass since he got here. Wouldn't shut up about 'where's Annie?'," Sam declared whilst imitating Steve's voice.
Annie pulled away and grinned at her protective brother, "Getting worried are you Captain America?"
Steve playfully glared at her, "Only when his annoying sister disappears for 5 hours." He says the words as if they are completely justified and she supposed they are.
"I was gone for 5 hours?" Annie breathed in disbelief.
"Just about, since I called you at SHEILD. Where were you?" Steve asked.
"I was on my way here and I past the- well your exhibit and I went inside," Annie confessed.
Understanding was shared between the siblings. Only the two comprehending the experience of wandering through a historical exhibit that had once been your life. To see people who were death or not as you remember them. Steve attempted to remember who he was in the space but Annie had steered clear of it and Steve noticed. He wouldn't go in either if one of the rooms recounted his death.
The throat cleared to the right, gaining their attention. It was Natasha in a clear black shirt with her hands firmly on her hips. "Hate to ruin a family moment but you're forgetting someone," she sounded.
Annie rolled her eyes at the assassin and wrapped her in a hug which was happily received. Annie pulled away from the hold and frowned. Natasha asking with furrowed brows, "What is it?"
"What did you do to your hair?" Annie questioned sadly, not particularly favouring the modern style.
"What you don't like it?" Natasha probed. Annie bit her lip, not answering the red head's question. "You don't do you?" she sighed.
Annie shrugged, "I'm sorry Nat but it isn't my cup of tea."
The frown flew from Natasha's face as she teased, "You know when you say that you give away how old you really are."
Annie scowled but the expression lacked severity as she declared, "Respect your elders."
"Wait a minute!" Annie abruptly shot. She felt something different in the mood. She didn't believe in auras or that kind of thing but something felt different. It was in Steve's subtly tensed shoulders and careful consideration of Natasha. Adjusting as she moved.
"What is it?" Natasha asked as Annie started to stare at Steve with an apprehensive gaze.
Her eyes narrowed on her increasingly uncomfortable brother as she murmured, "Something happened."
The phrase was annoyingly vague but it was enough for Steve's sight to flicker to Natasha. Annie knowing her brother too well gasped, maybe a little too dramatically, "You two kissed!"
"What!?" the Steve exclaimed growing awkward.
Natasha was as collected as always challenged, "Why would you think that?"
"Well you didn't give anything away, it was Steve. I know my hopeless brother. And he is showing all of the signs, you only have to know him to notice them," Annie educated smugly.
Natasha twisted her head to send a mild glare at the super soldier before responding, "It was to hide from the SHIELD team hunting us. Solely to prevent us from being discovered."
Annie nodded slowly, "Okay, but let me know if this develops, then I can finally stop looking for girlfriends for Steve to only have him turn them down."
"You could just stop looking," Steve enlightened.
Annie crossed her arms at the comment and gave Steve a look that communicated that there was a fat chance of that happening.
Annie's gaze then encompassed Natasha and Sam addressing them all. Her face and tone now seriousness, "So what is the situation? Why are we here?" Steve was always astonished how Annie could so rapidly turn from playful and mischievous to serious. Her tone setting the new mood.
"Fury was right. SHIELD has been compromised. HYDRA has been working within SHEILD, fuelling chaos. Now they're after us and Pierce is behind it." Steve listed.
"Who is Pierce?" Annie inquired.
"He's a senior leader of SHEILD. He's was basically Nick's boss. We think he's the one controlling HYDRA activity within SHEILD," Natasha informed. Annie noticed how she attempted to make her voice void of emotion.
To distract Natasha Annie advanced, "So is he dangerous? We need to know what his intentions are. Are they exclusively within SHEILD or will he threaten the public?"
"Fury had showed me 'Project Insight'. It was intended to take out threats before they act. This could involve that," Steve explained.
Annie sighed, "I had written a report on this."
"Sorry but I'm starting to lose the plot," Sam interjected.
"Well about 'Project Insight', if Fury told you about it he was no doubt brief and vague," Natasha recalled to which Steve nodded.
"Ok but what is this report about?" Sam inquired.
"Sorry that was confusing out of context. My now-previous job at SHIELD was to assess current and future threats to the safety of the population. A few weeks ago I handed in a report detailing the possible future threat of SHIELD. I'm afraid I was right," Annie spoke.
"What did it have in it?" Steve asked.
"Well I recorded my discoveries about the unmatched power of the organisation. I noted that with the almost infinite resources of SHIELD and how in the event that a malicious individual should control it there would be no competitor to stop them," Annie continued.
Natasha leant on one leg, her hip poking pout as she muttered, "Let my guess, they took it under consideration."
Steve stepped forward, grasping the attention of the room, "SHIELD is a threat and now that we are considered enemies we need to know what we're up against. We need to find out what 'Project Insight' really is."
"But how can you do that, you can't go back into SHEILD," Sam thought aloud.
"We could take hostage a high ranking HYDRA agent and threaten them for information on the project and why SHEILD is after us," Annie mumbled distractedly.
A wicked grin formed on Black Widows tan face, "I know the perfect place."
Annie panicked, "I- that wasn't a fully formed plan!"
A cramped car speedily travelled down the highway as Annie clarified, "I was fine with the interrogation method but some warning would have been welcome. "
The traitorous double agent HYDRA to the left of Annie grumbled, "How do you think I feel?"
"I'm sorry but you had it coming," Annie stated.
There was a sudden thump on the roof of the car. Then rustling of weight and rubber on the metal. Annie looked up curiously murmuring, "What's up there?"
The HYDRA double agent was ripped from the car seat and hurled through the window and into an oncoming truck. Annie cringed knowing that man did not survive that. She ducked closer to Natasha on the other side of the back seat avoiding the window. Natasha and Annie heard the click of the gun at the same time. Natasha twisted into the front seat on Steve's whilst Annie clumsily crawled onto the seat that the HYDRA agent had been in predicting that the threat who was about to shot was unlikely to fire at a spot he had just cleared.
Annie was right as a bullet zoomed through the metal of the car and dug into the seat that Annie had just occupied. Natasha already had her gun out and fired at the enemy, unsure as they were where to fire. He shot at the front which Natasha easily avoided.
"Annie are you ok?" Steve yelled back.
"Yes, kind of busy now though," she reassured. Annie had reached the gun she usually had hidden in the back of her jeans. Extremely glad she had decided to wear jeans to work as well as stash her gun in them.
Sam spotted her in the back seat and fumed, "She has a gun too?!"
Annie fired a few bullets above her but did not hit the phantom on the roof. She smirked at Sam, "I work for SHEILD, it's expected."
Without warning Sam slammed his foot on the brake, sending the car's occupants hurling forward, including the mysterious individual attempting to kill them from the roof. He flew a couple of meters through the air and landed skilfully on the cluttered road in front of them. His metal arm scraping across the rough surface to slow his momentum. The synthetic arm reflected the sun's rays on the shiny surface but appeared too deadly to be seen as beautiful. But in another context Annie thought it could have been.
His covered face, brooding stature and gleaming metal arm unsettled Annie as he patiently stepped toward the stationary vehicle. "Sam we shouldn't stay there," Annie warned in a shaky tone.
"Right," Sam responded but a large SVU clashed with their car, preventing any form of escape. The tank like size of the SVU thrust them forward in the car. Annie cringed as she feared they were about to hit the masked man. At the last second before a fatal collision the man with the robotic arm twisted himself above the car and crashed onto the roof. The brutal contact of his foreboding boot with the rear window caused it to shatter, startling Annie and forcing out a yelp.
The menacing, black vehicle continued to shove them forward as the, what Annie assumed, assassin remained on the roof tightly griping the windshield. Annie directed her gun at the feet but the man seemed to sense her shots and moved to dodge them. The brakes were activated, the friction cause resulting in sparked erupting from the wheels and a squeal of complaint from the rubber.
Suddenly he was at the front of the car ripping the steering wheel from Sam's hands and the car dashboard through the windshield. Sam began to panic screaming, "Shit!"
Annie just stared wide eyed at the feat that had just been conducted. Annie fired at the long haired assassin forcing him to retreat to the front of the looming SUV. He crouched on the bonnet casually, Annie flicking her gaze to him, dumbfounded. She was sure he was the same mysterious individual that shot Fury through their wall.
The car they were confined in began to lose control without the guidance of a steering wheel and scraped the railing of the highway.
Steve predicted the chaotic turn of their course and ordered, "Annie come here."
Annie obeyed, being griped by Steve along with Sam and Natasha as he rammed the door of the car off its hinges and pulled them onto the small car part. It barely fit them all as it skimmed the road, distancing from the now rolling car.
Steve lost grip of Sam, the veteran rolling to a safe stop. Annie was the next to vacant the door, receiving a few scratches and bruises from the tumble. The door ended his skid with Steve and Natasha still on board.
All of their gazes darted to the pulled up SUV that swarmed with HYDRA agents loaded with dangerous looking weaponry. As one of them handed an explosive gun to the leather clad assassin. Registering the nearing danger, the four scrambled for protection of cars that had been abandoned in the frenzy.
Steve didn't make it in time but instead raised his shield to combat the explosive fired at him. The force bursting forth from the bomb threw Steve off the bridge. A raw scream, "Steve!" erupted from Annie's throat at the violent disappearance of her brother from her view.
The agents of SHEILD or HYDRA, Annie couldn't tell the difference anymore, steady moved ahead. An endless spray of bullets clanking against the steel of cars attempting to dig into their soft bodies. Annie fit herself behind a larger car as the others did. Every so often risking a shot or two back with the gun she had fortunately kept a hold of.
Another explosion sounded and Annie struggled to see if it had injured any of her friends. There was another and this time Annie caught the red hair of Natasha as she swung off the bridge. Annie would have been worried if she had not known the woman to the extent she did.
For the moment the continuous firing of guns had ceased and Annie dug through her pockets looking for another magazine. She may have been fortunate enough to bring a gun but her luck did not spread as far as to have an extra magazine.
The firing started up again but not directed her way. She pressed her face in frustration at her current uselessness. The only weapon she had was out of bullets and any hand to hand combat with armed, trained men would be counterproductive. She simply had to wait for an opportunity to get her hands on a gun.
Instead she crept to the edge of the car so she could view the scene over the bridge. She could see Natasha sprint along a line of cars as the masked man continued to shot at her. He was not as masked as she remembered, his eyes were exposed. He proceeds to recklessly jump from the bridge, landing and crushing the car below. Annie took a moment to feel sympathy for whoever owned that car, she wasn't sure insurance covered crazy ghost assassins.
The men with him thrust hooks into abandoned cars, travelling down the bridge in a safer way via the ropes attached. A wicked smirk developed on Annie's dirtied face as she relished in the agents foolish action. She sprinted at her maximum speed to the now unguarded SUV and to her delight it was still satisfactorily stocked with guns of all kinds.
She collected a simplistic holster from a rake and loaded it with two average sized guns. Her excited hands wrapping around the largest gun left. Annie had always lent towards the larger, more powerful weapons. Her size never deterring her much. She had early decided that it was the attitude of the individual which limited their ability not their size.
She heard the deep guttural noise she connected with a machine gun and she doubted it belonged to Steve. She ran to the sound, the weight of her weapons slowing her haste. From the edge of the bridge she sighted a HYDRA agent directing and firing at Steve, who hid behind his SHEILD. He was obviously scrambling for a solution. Annie thought herself it as she fired to effective shots into the man's turned back. The cumbersome weapon released from his dead grip as he plummets to the ground from on top of a car.
Steve focuses on the other HYDRA agents targeting him. Steve shouts at Annie as he battles them, "Stay out of danger!"
"That is unlikely!" she called back firing a shot at the man aiming his gun at Steve's back. The shot would have been fatal even for Steve. Annie smirked, "Looks like you need me anyway."
Even from her distance Annie could clearly see the frown of displeasure painted on Steve's face, "Fine but stay away from the Winter Soldier."
"Who?" Annie questioned as she fired at another agent, finally getting him on the 4th shot.
"The guy with the robot arm," Steve clarified as he violently jerked his fist into an agent's face. Annie was sure that he would lose some teeth from it.
"Oh, that guy," she bellowed.
The final HYDRA agent was shot from the other side of the bridge. The Rogers looked to the origin from their differing angles. It was Sam.
Annie grinned at the dark skinned man calling, "About time."
He winked, addressing her before shouting to Steve, "Go, we got this." Annie observed the silent exchange between the men which she was sure was Steve asking Sam to keep an eye on her. Annie was determined to make that unnecessary.
The two quickly took out any HYDRA that snuck out from their crevices, soon Annie decide that they were none or every few left. She heard gun fire behind her on the other side of the bridge. She strode towards Sam and used a fierce tone, "I'm going to help Steve, don't argue. Can you make sure not more HYDRA are around? They may have reinforcements."
Annie wasn't sure if it was her tone or his understanding because Sam simply nodded and said, "Make sure he doesn't get himself killed."
She gave a weak smile before climbing down one of the lines used by the now dead HYDRA agents, her large gun strapped to her back. Sam scanned the ground to ensure no threats sneak up on her. As soon as her sturdy shoes hit the cold tar of the road she darts in the direction Steve had previously.
Her legs ran mindlessly, their only objective to find Steve, help him, and keep him safe. The adrenaline that outnumbered her blood cells carried her swiftly, causing her to be ignorant of the digging weight of her gun on her shoulder.
She finally came to the scene of Steve and the assassin battling in skilled hand-to-hand combat. Deadly punches and kicks only stopped by expert dodges and blocks. Steve clutched his shield while the man held a small knife. Annie doubted it was harmless in his metal grip. She lifted her stolen gun at the dark haired man that threw almost critical slashes at Steve. She couldn't get a clear shot, not one that didn't risk the chance of hitting Steve.
She continued to near closer, attempting to earn a safe shot. Both men, evenly matched were so concentrated in their fight, did not notice the approached woman. Steve burrowed his shield into the man's shuttered, metal shoulder. The circular object rotating to collide with his face. The man twisted out of Steve's grip. In a desperate attempt to maintain his grip on the man Steve snatched at his face, using it to hurl him over his shoulder.
The man landed dexterously, grasping a discarded pistol as he stood. Annie panicked as he aimed it at her brother. But Steve didn't do anything. Why wasn't he using his shield?! He just stared at the revealed face of the man with an agape mouth. Annie couldn't contain herself, now only a few meters from the event. She lifted her gun at the man crying, "Steve!"
The call alerted the man to her presence. The long hair did not inhibit her recognition of the face. Her eyes grew wide as the gun feel from her grip. She could hear her blood pumping through her, too loudly in her ears. The man stared as well as hypnotized and confused as she was.
A single murmur escaped her open mouth, "Bucky?"
He frowned, "Who the hell is Bucky?" and with that sentence Annie experienced two pains that were unimaginable. One sprouted from her abdomen, burning her skin in searing agony.
He had shot her.
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